You're at an excellent secondhand bookstore and you spot several copies of a book you're really looking forward to for sale, by a successful author you like. You hadn't expected to find it here because -- as you realize -- it's not supposed to be out for at least another month. But you're really excited to read it.
Are you ethically bound to try and let the author know? Surely the author might have some objection to copies getting out before publication day, even if it's the publisher who did it. On the other hand, s/he might already be aware of it and might feel that it won't have a negative effect on sales. Is the answer different if the author is not commercially successful or it's a debut?
And should you refrain from buying it in respect to the on-sale date?
8 hours ago
2 comments:
You buy it. It's there, you want it.
But you don't tell the author. If it matters to that author they'll see the sale and pick up on it. If not, you're rushing & worrying them about something they can't control or bring back (the specialness of their pub date). Once it's out there, it's out there and not coming back. Pub dates are loose anyway - ultimately you just want to get the book out in as big a way as possible as soon as possible.
By posting a review, having clearly read it, once it's in wide release, you're helping it, not hurting it.
Agree with Peter. If the book has shipped to stores, then for all intents and purposes it's released. If it had a strict one-day laydown, they wouldn't send it to stores a month before that date.
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